I hope everything is wonderful in your little corner of the world. Here’s a few ways to make some memories this week…..

1. Run through the sprinkler with the kids. Yes, you too! It’s pretty fun to run through the sprinkler when you’re a child but it’s extra special when your mom, dad, grandma or other loved one is running through it with you.

2. Give the kids an assortment of broken and/or unwanted items they can use to make yard or garden art. Wood, metal, plastic, wire, paint and even colored duct tape can all be components — anything from driftwood to bicycle tires can be transformed into something awesome. Encourage the kids to use things in novel ways and to concentrate on making the final product look really artistic.

5. Make some fairy tale crowns to decorate. Mommyblessings has all the instructions to make these personalized, adjustable beauties.

6. Serve dinner on a stick. Put out skewers for shish kabobs along with all sorts of items you can stack on your sticks. You can do a salad on a stick appetizer with cherry tomatoes, celery, green pepper chunks, iceberg lettuce chunks and other salad veggies for the kids to stack and then dip or drizzle with salad dressing. You can serve steamed or grilled veggies, cooked meat or tofu cubes and lots of dipping sauces (barbecue, ranch, ketchup, teriyaki…) for the main course. For dessert, put out fruits like strawberries, blueberries and grapes to stack on skewers, along with some fun fruit dips like chocolate syrup and peanut butter sauce (thin peanut butter with some water and sweeten with honey).

7. Let the kids have fun in the mud. Yes, it’s messy. It’s supposed to be! It’s also utterly magical and should be a child’s right at least every so often. :) Luckily, it’s also easy to clean up with the help of a sprinkler or garden hose afterwards. Here’s all sorts of ways to do it.

8. Start a cookbook or recipe card box of family recipes for your child. Every week or so, make one together so one day your child will know how to make all your best recipes. Make up some recipes together to fill it with, too!

9. Fill the kiddie pool with bubbles or other fun surprises. Here’s a bunch of other oddball things you can fill it with.

10. Make homemade ice cream and invent some new flavors. You can make ice cream even if you don’t have an ice cream maker, as long as you have a couple of plastic bags and some rock salt. You can make ice cream even if you don’t have half and half. Just use milk. It won’t be as creamy but it also won’t be as fattening! You can make ice cream even if your child is allergic to dairy or your family is paleo, if you use coconut milk. You can even make ice cream if you’re vegan, dieting or diabetic. You can even just toss fruit juice in your ice cream maker and make the easiest sorbet in the world! Just make some up and then have fun with the kids seeing what new flavor combinations you can come up with. Be sure to write down the favorites!

And with that, chickadees, I’m off to feed my hungry masses. Have a magical week!